Tuggar Campaign Rejects Allegiance To M.A. Abubakar, Disowns Bauchi APC Governorship Primary

The campaign organisation of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, has dismissed reports claiming that his supporters have accepted the outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Bauchi State and pledged allegiance to the party’s candidate, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar (SAN).
In a statement issued on Thursday by Tuggar’s Special Assistant on Media, Alkasim Abdulkadir, the organisation described the reports as false, insisting they did not reflect its official position.

According to the statement, some individuals who recently addressed a press conference in Bauchi and declared support for Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar were acting in their personal capacity and had no mandate to speak on behalf of Ambassador Tuggar or his campaign organisation.

The reaction followed a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Bauchi, where a group led by one of Tuggar’s coordinators, Musa Abdullahi, announced its support for the APC governorship candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections.

However, the campaign organisation maintained that the group itself admitted it was not representing Ambassador Tuggar and lacked the authority to make any declaration in his name.

“Our attention has been drawn to reports claiming that supporters of Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar have accepted the outcome of the APC governorship primary in Bauchi State and shifted their allegiance. This claim is false and does not represent the position of the Tuggar Campaign Organisation,” the statement read.

The organisation further reiterated its position that no valid APC governorship primary election was conducted in Bauchi State.

It argued that the process which produced Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar as the party’s candidate did not meet the requirements of a legitimate consensus, alleging that it was neither preceded by broad consultations nor based on the voluntary agreement of all aspirants and critical stakeholders.

“It therefore cannot be regarded as a legitimate consensus under the principles of internal party democracy,” the statement said.

The campaign organisation also reaffirmed Ambassador Tuggar’s commitment to the APC, its constitution and the rule of law, urging media organisations to distinguish between the actions of self-appointed groups and the official position of the campaign.

It added that Tuggar’s political support cuts across the 20 local government areas of Bauchi State and cannot be represented by what it described as a handful of individuals.